The right mix for a deep run
Kane Brooks, center, of Timberlake reacts to a Kellogg three-pointer in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Timberlake's Colton Counts goes for a layup against Kellogg in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Chase Gardom of Timberlake, left, and Trevor Bumgardner battle for a loose ball in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Timberlake's Chase Gardom watches a rebound in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. LOREN BENOIT/Press
Jordan Hardy of Timberlake High surveys the Kellogg defense in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Timberlake's Dawson Cramer looks to pass against Kellogg in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College.(LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Dylan Kluss of Timberlake is fouled by Kellogg's Trevor Bumgardner in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Timberlake's Chase Gardom shoots a three-pointer over Kellogg's Gavin Luna in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College.(LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Timberlake's Colton Counts goes for a layup in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Tanner Mueller of Kellogg celebrates a three against Timberlake in the 3A District 1 championship game Wednesday night at North Idaho College. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — A slick-passing team with loads of talent and experience, the Kellogg Wildcats are taking down plenty of ingredients to challenge for a state 3A boys basketball title.
“We play better as a team; it doesn’t matter about one person’s success,” said Kellogg senior Chase Jerome, who scored 21 points in the Wildcats’ 69-51 victory over the Timberlake Tigers in the championship game of the 3A District 1 tournament Wednesday night at North Idaho College’s Rolly Williams Court. “We’ve been playing together since second grade; we know what each other is doing.”
Kellogg (17-3), which won its fifth straight district title, advances to state next week at Meridian High. The Wildcats will open against Kimberly, the District 4 champion, next Thursday at 12:15 p.m. PST.
Kellogg, which placed third last year, returns nearly everyone from that squad. The Wildcats have nine seniors on their 11-man roster, and four of their five starters are seniors.
“There’s no doubt what we want to do down there,” second-year Kellogg coach Jeff Nearing said. “At state you can’t take a quarter off. We had one bad quarter against Snake (River) and it cost us.”
Timberlake (9-13), the No. 2 seed, will play host to No. 3 Bonners Ferry (10-12) on Friday at 6 p.m. for the district’s second berth to state.
Ryan Morgan added 12 points for Kellogg, which saw nine players score.
Colton Counts, a senior post who missed Monday’s win over Bonners Ferry with a neck injury, led Timberlake with 19 points. Chase Gardom added 11.
Timberlake handled Kellogg’s full-court zone press well at times. But the turnovers the Tigers did commit seemed to come in bunches, and led to runs by the Wildcats.
Leading 23-20 midway through the second quarter, Kellogg closed the half on a 15-3 run.
“They went on a couple of runs, one in the first quarter and one in the third,” Timberlake coach Michael Scott said. “I told my boys there’s nothing to be ashamed of; that’s a darn good team you played.”
As for state …
“It’s a different game down there,” said Jerome, named the Intermountain League’s Most Valuable Player after the game. “We have to come out flying on defense.”
“We’re unselfish … sometimes too unselfish,” Nearing said. “If we learned anything from down there (at state), is it doesn’t matter who you play, you have to play with a sense of urgency.”
Timberlake 13 10 15 13 — 51
Kellogg 21 17 16 15 — 69
TIMBERLAKE — Hardy 0, Wilfong 0, Cramer 4, Meijerink 0, Counts 19, Kluss 3, James 9, Gardom 11, Kistler 5.
KELLOGG — Gibbons 6, Samuelson 0, Jerome 21, Atkins 0, Mueller 8, Bumgardner 8, Nearing 2, Jennings 3, Finlay 3, Morgan 12, Luna 6.
Bonners Ferry 59
Priest River 42
COEUR d’ALENE — Chris Sabin scored 20 points and Seth Bateman added 17 as the third-seeded Badgers eliminated the fourth-seeded Spartans in a loser-out game of the 3A District 1 tournament at North Idaho College’s Rolly Williams Court.
Bonners Ferry (10-12) will play at No. 2 seed Timberlake (9-13) on Friday at 6 p.m. for the district’s second berth to state.
Keegan Hegel scored 18 points for Priest River, which finished 2-20.
Priest River 4 10 22 6 — 42
Bonners Ferry 14 14 10 19 — 59
PRIEST RIVER — Hegel 18, O’Brien 8, Johnson 0, Anselmo 0, Downs 4, McCracken 5, Brennan 7, Salesky 0, Glazier 0.
BONNERS FERRY — Ryan 3, Sabin 20, S. Bateman 17, T. Bateman 0, Hittle 8, Stone 0, Pluid 2, Jelinek 0, Bell 0, Bill 0, B. Bateman 2, Morgan 5.
ALL-INTERMOUNTAIN LEAGUE
Chase Jerome, sr., Kellogg (Most Valuable Player), Trevor Bumgardner, sr., Kellogg; Grant Nearing, sr.; Tyler Gibbons, sr.; Colton Counts, sr., Timberlake; Jacob James, so., Timberlake; Jordan Hardy, sr., Timberlake; Seth Bateman, jr., Bonners Ferry; Chris Sabin, sr., Bonners Ferry; Keegan Hegel, jr., Priest River.
Coach of the Year — Jeff Nearing, Kellogg.